[L. fr. Polonia, Poland, native country of Mme. M.S. Curie who with her husband, P. Curie, discovered the substance]

polonium

/po·lo·ni·um/ (Po) (pah-lo´ne-um) chemical element, at. no. 84.

polonium (Po)

[pəlō′nē·əm]

Etymology: Polonia, Poland

a radioactive element that is one of the disintegration products of uranium. Its atomic number is 84; its atomic mass is approximately 210.

polonium

A rare and highly radioactive chemical element (atomic number 84) discovered by Marie Curie, which has 33 distinct radioactive isotopes. It is an alpha particle emitter with a half-life of 138.4 days that decays directly to its stable daughter isotope, 206Pb, and has such a high energy of emission that it has been used to heat satellites and vehicles in outer space. 210Polonium is 250,000 times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide (HCN): the LD50 for an 80 kg person is 1µg of 210Po compared to 250 mg for HCN.

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